And so it begins - Cobra’s “New” Generation Surface Mount Technology

[CbRadiosPRONTO]

Is this something that is for sale now or a prototype?

This is an actual finished product. I was able to purchase 20 and now they’re gone. No classics, chromes or LX’s are to be had through cobra, at this point, to my knowledge. Cobra had them on Amazon for a brief period and they’re out.

 

[cralt]

I want to add-on to what Robb is saying.
A couple of years ago I bought an SMD soldering station and it just sat on my bench and gathered dust.

As almost everything electronic is SMD style now, I finally decided to get with the program and figure out how to work with it. I ruined a lot of circuit boards ( they were junk anyway ) before finally signing up for an SMD soldering class. Just learning how to properly adjust the temperature and air pressure on my soldering station for each type of component was worth the price of admission. The school was run one weekend a month by a group of electronic techs who worked for a large electronics manufacturer here. There were 10 students in the class, and each student had a tech assigned to him so that each of us could learn at our own pace.

After the 2nd day, Andres, my tech, actually had me removing and replacing single components and multi-pin ICs with ease.

I found out later that the company the instructors work for sponsored the school, and paid the techs time and a half for running it. After the class, the company offered several of us jobs in their factory. I know for sure that three guys hired on, maybe more. I passed. I didn't retire just to go back to work again.

So ... the techs got paid their OT salary plus our tuition payments. The company got new workers with good SMD soldering skills, and guys like me learned something new.
A win-win for everyone.

- 399

That cool to hear. Think about the guys who knew only point to point wiring in tube gear. Then drop a 1980s radio with transistors and DIP ic's in it in front of them. They would look at it like I look SMD stuff. "Impossible to work on!"

 

[lonestarbandit]

I was an aircraft electrician in a previous portion of life on military projects that shall remain nameless and had a little experience soldering SMD. Not sure I could manage it now (older and less steady and I havent got the equipment I did then) but it is certainly possible.

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

The fcc has the scoop.

https://fccid.io/document.php?id=5143624

 

[Christopher17]

Nothing scary about SMD, just smaller and need good quality tweezers, microscope, and specialized soldiering tips , if you have board level soldering skills you can learn most of the SMD skills in a few hours

 

[nomadradio]

All very cool, just three problems.

1) No schematic diagram.

2) No parts-placement diagram.

3) No parts list so you can identify parts that have no ID markings.

Nice pics, though.

73

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

I would bet that they are made by QiXiang, the company that makes Anytone, Stryker, etc.